Appetizer/Snack: Buffalo Chicken Dip

This dip is AMAZING! I literally cannot stop eating it. I ate it for a snack, I brought it to work to eat for lunch one day and I even ate it with dinner. It is sooo good and handy to keep in the fridge whenever I want a little snack.

2 (12 oz) cans of white chicken, next to the tuna

1/2 cup of ranch dressing

1/2 cup of hot sauce (Frank's hot sauce is the best!)

8 oz whipped cream cheese

Cheese to top. I used cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, and transfer to a non stick baking dish. Top with desired amount of cheese and put in the oven for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Brunch: Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes

Erin: As Sam and I are waiting out Hurricane Irene, I thought it would be a great time to try out some new brunch recipes. Rasperry Ricotta Pancakes are awesome! They are light and give the traditional pancake a bit of a fruity twist. Try them!

The picture is not great and they do not come out very pretty, but they are really good!



What you'll need
- 1 lemon
- 1 pint of frozen or fresh raspberries (thawed)
-1/2 cup of sugar, plus 1 Tbs.
-2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1 Tbs. baking powder
-1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
-1 1/4 cups milk
-4 large eggs
-maple syrup for serving

What to do:
1. Working over a small bowl, use a box grater to grate the zest of a lemon
2. Add raspberries to the bowl with the lemon zest. Stir in 1/3 cup of sugar, gently crushing the raspberries with a wooden spoon. Set aside to macerate while making the batter
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, 1 tablespoon sugar and baking powder. In another bowl, beat the ricotta with the milk and eggs. Add the ricotta mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. Gently fold in the raspberries with their juices
4. Heat a large skillet over low heat and melt 1/2 teaspoon butter. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet
5. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and bubbles on the surface begin to break. Flip and cook for 2 minutes longer

I served the pancakes with maple syrup, scrambled eggs and mimosas! Delish!


TIP
-For extra fluffy pancakes, separate the whites and the yolks of the egg and just add the yolks when the recipe calls for eggs. Then beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold them into the batter at the end, right after you add the raspberries!

Sam enjoying brunch!

Main Entree: Baked Garlic Shrimp

Erin,

I know how much we BOTH love cooking with shrimp so when I found this recipe,  I knew I had to give it a try. It is a twist on traditional steamed/sauteed shrimp because it's baked. Who knew? The breadcrumbs totally make this dish. It's absolutely delish! Eric came over to hang out for the night and both he and Sam were raving all night!

AND, it was pretty cheap and quick to make. It doesn't require a lot of ingridients, mostly stuff that you already have around the house.

What you'll need

• 1 lb. raw shrimp, deveined and peeled
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. white wine
• salt and pepper
• 4 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. fresh Italian-leaf parsley, chopped

What to do:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine the shrimp, garlic, and white wine.  Stir to combine, then pour into a baking dish.  Spread out evenly, and then season with salt and pepper.
In another bowl, use a fork to mix melted butter, Panko, and parsley until well combined.  With your fingers, sprinkle the mixture evenly in the baking dish over the shrimp.
Transfer dish to oven and bake until the shrimp are pink and opaque, about 15-18 minutes.

I served it with angel hair pasta tossed with butter on the side and a loaf of french bread. It was awesome and filled the whole house with an amazing aroma! :) Enjoy!

Main Entree: Porcupine Meatballs

Ashley--Remember these from growing up? I made them tonight and they are SO much better than I recall. Maybe it's just that my recipe is better than mom's :) just kidding!

What you'll need: 

1 lb lean ground beef

1/3 cup uncooked rice

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 water

1 tsp salt

1 can condensed tomato soup

1/2 water 

Directions:

1. Combine beef, rice, onions, 1/4 cup water, salt

2. Shape meat mixture into 12-15 meat balls

3. Combine soup and 1/2 cup water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil.

4. Add meatballs, reduce heat, cover; stir occassionally, and simmer over low heat.

5. Recipe says cook for 1 hour, but mine took a little over a half hour. Just keep checking it

I paired it with a green salad and a bowl of fruit. It was amazing. Enjoy!

Main Entree: Chicken Fried Rice

Erin: This was the BEST chicken fried rice ever. It was simple but so tasty. And borrowed from The Food Network! :)

What you'll need
3 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon sesame oil (found next to the olive oil)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely minced
4 cups cooked rice
6 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce



What to do:

1. Beat eggs in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat very little oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat and make an omelette using half the beaten eggs. Turn out onto a plate to cool (do not fold omelette). Repeat process with remaining beaten eggs. Place 1 omelette on top of the other, fold and chop. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, toss chicken strips with the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. 3. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over high heat in large wok and stir fry the prepared chicken strips about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion has softened.
4. Add 2 tablespoons more vegetable oil and when hot, stir in the cooked rice and green onions, tossing and mixing thoroughly until very hot.
5. Sprinkle with soy sauce and mix evenly. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cooked egg.

Main Entree: London Broil

What you'll need:
4 lb London Broil steak
3 tbs Soy Sauce
1 tbs Sherry cooking wine
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine sauces, oil, sherry, and garlic.
3. Coat both sides with mixture
4. Let stand for 30 minutes
5. Place steak on pan (one with slits, if available) and cook for about 30 minutes.

I paired this with steamed asparagus in lemon butter sauce and it was amazing! Enjoy

Dessert: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

What you'll need:
an 18.25 oz box of Duncan Hines Devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, stir together cake mix, butter and eggs until smooth and well blended. I used a mixer for a minute or two.
3. Mix in chocolate chips
4. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes

6. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Main Dish: Roasted Garlic Chicken Pizza

Erin: This is pretty cheap and very tasty. There was even enough for Sam to take to work the next day, Let me know how you like it.

P.S. I start work tomorrow. Wish me luck :)

What you'll need:

• 2 whole heads of garlic, roasted
• 1 pizza crust, homemade or store bought (I bought one from the local grocery store)
• 1/2 cup PHILADELPHIA brand Italian Herb & Cheese Cooking Creme (you can find this in any grocery store right next to the cream cheese)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken from the store and it was a major time saver!)
• sliced white or red onions
• 1-2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• 1 handful Italian parsley, finely-chopped

What to do:
Begin by roasting your head(s) of garlic.
Once it is ready and cooled to room temperature, carefully squeeze the garlic cloves out of the skin and set aside.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Lay your pizza crust on a floured work surface.  Spread the top with the PHILADELPHIA brand Cooking Creme, leaving a 1-inch border for crust.
Sprinkle evenly with shredded chicken, onions, roasted garlic cloves, and about half of the chopped parsley.  Top evenly with cheese.
Transfer to a pizza baking sheet and bake at 425F degrees for 12-16 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

NOTE:

(you can look up how to roast garlic online. BUT BEWARE!!! Make sure that you use a baking sheet with edges. I made this mistake and the olive oil spilled over, caught fire, and OH-EM-GEE, you cannot imagine the smoke that will cause. But it was a minor setback and everything was fine)

Main Dish: Flank Steak with Peppercorn Cream Sauce

What you will need:

Steak: 

1 lb flank steak

1/2 cup canola oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 cloves garlic, minced

black pepper

Peppercorn Cream Sauce:

1/2 c beef broth

1 tsp cornstarch

3 tbsp peppercorns

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

4 oz PHILADELPHIA brand cream cheese 

Directions:

For the steak:

1. Place the steak in a large top bag and use a meat mallot to pound the steak to even thickness 

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and garlic until well mixed.

3. Pour the marinade into a zip lock bag with the steak and marinade in fridge for 20 minutes

4. Remove steak from fridge and let it sit until room temperature. Then season with salt and pepper

5. You can either grill it or cook it on the stove. I prefer grill. I preheat the grill to medium-high heat. 

6. Place steak on grill and cook about 6 minutes. Remove and tent with foil for 5-10 more minutes before serving. Cut against grain when ready to serve and top with peppercorn sauce immediately.

For the sauce:

1. Using a small saucepan, whisk cold beef broth and cornstarch..

2. Turn heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally 

3. Add in peppercorns, sage, and garlic powder and stir to combine.

4. Add cream cheese and stir slowly until it has fully melted and the sauce is smooth and well combined. Serve immediately! 

Dessert: Chardonnay Cake

What you'll need:

Cake:
2 sticks of butter at room temp.
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temp.
3.5 oz vanilla pudding
1/2 cup chardonnay (any chardonnay will work-I found the cheapest bottle at HEB and it worked great)
1 cup whole milk, warmed in microwave for about 20 seconds
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Glaze:
4 tbs butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 chardonnay

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Grease and flour a bundt pan (or a 9' by 9' pan will work, but I used a bundt)
3. With a mixer in a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, eggs, pudding mix, chardonnay, milk and vanilla until well combined
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. It's okay if it has a few clumps,  don't overmix!
6. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 50 minutes
7. While the cake is baking, start the glaze. In a medium saucepan, combine all glaze ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, until the mixture reduces.
8. When cake is finished, remove from oven and pierce it several times with a skewer or fork.
9. Immediately pour the hot glaze into the pan. If you are using a bundt pan, pour mixure into the bottom.
10. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and you can flip bundt when it is cooled

Sounds pretty complicated, but it's really easy and delicious!

Side Dish: Roasted Butternut Squash

What you will need:
1 large butternut squash (Make sure you check the weight before buying. I didn't check and ended up with a $7 squash).
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons diced butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
2. Cut off the top and bottom of the squash and scoop out seeds
3. Cut the flesh into 1 inch cubes
4. Put the squash on a large rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with minced garlic and diced butter, and drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Toss all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper
5. Roast for 20 minutes. Take out, turn squash over with spatula, and roast for 20 minutes longer